Can I Cut the Branches of My Pomegranate Tree Without Killing It?

Pomegranate trees flower over a long time in summer.

If you're interested in growing your own fruit in a home garden and enjoy exotic fruit, the pomegranate tree (Punica granatum) could be a good choice for you. Renowned for its sweet but acidic flavor, each fruit contains hundreds of crunchy seeds surrounded by bright red pulp. The pomegranate reacts well to pruning that's properly timed and done with some care and grows as either a small tree or a bushy shrub, depending on your pruning approach. The pomegranate grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11.

Timing Your Pruning

For a good harvest of pomegranates, it's important to prune a tree regularly -- it sets fruit on branches that are 2 or 3 years old, so you need to remove older wood to keep fruiting wood coming. The best time to prune is in late winter or very early spring, before new growth begins, but only start pruning after the tree has been in its permanent spot for a full year and is well-established. In the second year, you can promote a tree-like shape by removing all central stems except for one or two strong ones. For a more shrubby plant, allow four to six central stems to remain.

Taking Next Steps

Once your pomegranate is about 3 feet tall, shorten its branches by about a third to encourage new shoots to grow, but avoid doing this in late summer, because new growth can be damaged by winter's cool weather. To keep fruiting wood coming, thin back the tree's branches each year, removing some of the oldest wood to maintain the tree's vigor and stimulate new growth. It's also a good idea to remove any suckers that grow at the plant's base. These are thin, unbranched shoots that grow straight up and can sap vigor from the tree.

Adjusting Pruning

Once a pomegranate tree is established and 3 or 4 years old, it usually sets fruit every year. If your crop is light or fails to appear, prune less heavily during the next few seasons to allow more branches and flower buds to develop. You can also boost fruiting by cutting back thin, non-fruiting branches, helping keep the tree's canopy open to allow sun to penetrate and boost flowering. If there's a possibility of sub-freezing temperatures in winter or early spring, delay pruning until warmer temperature arrives to prevent damage to flower buds.

Other Care

A pomegranate tree grows best in full sun and thrives in warm temperatures. It tolerates any type of garden soil and is quite salt-tolerant, making it a good choice for some coastal locations. The tree needs regular moisture but doesn't tolerate wet, soggy conditions and does best in a well-drained spot. Adding coarse sand to clay-rich soil at planting improves drainage and promotes the tree's health. Although the tree tolerates drought, dryness can interfere with fruit production, so water regularly during dry spells. Adding a layer of organic mulch to the tree's root zone helps retain soil moisture while also keeping down competing weeds.

About the Author

Joanne Marie began writing professionally in 1981. Her work has appeared in health, medical and scientific publications such as Endocrinology and Journal of Cell Biology. She has also published in hobbyist offerings such as The Hobstarand The Bagpiper. Marie is a certified master gardener and has a Ph.D. in anatomy from Temple University School of Medicine.